Guide Notes

Ted Fay Report : April 13, 2022

April 13, 2022Rick Cox

Just when fishing was starting to pick up after the dry and slow winter we go right back to winter, believe me Dogpatch will gladly take the news….snow rain whatever. Just take a look below at the sad state we are in for precipitation to date but it’s looking like a miracle April will be giving us a hint of respite but no where near getting us out of the drought. Warm days in the 70’s have dropped back down to cold days in the 40’s and nights below freezing. With the forecast the rivers will rise but certainly nothing where it should be for this time of year. Bottom line …. we will take what Mother Nature gifts us with. And, the forecast beyond the 6 days into 14 days out is wet, wet, wet…..we are right in the bullseye of the systems. My ole knees are doing a jig! I cannot look into my crystal ball and tell you when to come up but the next two weeks will certainly stir the pot and the fish. My observations from the previous week were the fishing was beginning to show signs of picking up and spring was definitely grabbing on…..even saw a few Salmon Flies darting around. Caution, I noticed signs of rainbows spawning and a couple of redds. Please give these redds a very wide birth when wading. Take a look at my photo below to get a hint of identifying. Another bit of good new is the road to Ah Di Nah is open again and the McCloud River is looking juicy with its color mud bueno. No word yet on how the fishing is, check in with Bob for an update.

Cheers

Rick Cox Fly Fishing - offering 40 years of fly fishing experience for half day lessons or trips for beginners to ole dawgs. Checkout my Instagram post at rick_fly

530-925-0446

ricmcfly@gmail.com

Caution fish are spawning, stay away from these reads

Winter is back after 3 months of no precipitation

Pastry porn stop McCloud Golf Course serving breakfast and lunch

Ted Fay Report : March 25, 2022

March 25, 2022Rick Cox

Good news and bad news for yuz guys. First the bad, I always like the bad first just to get it out of the way. The Forest Service here in Dogpatch has issued the following bulletin for the road to Ah Di Nah …….Due to an increased hazard awareness and for public safety, we intend to close the road to public access beginning tonight (3/24/2022) and continuously for the following two weeks. This is in part because of the weather forecast, but also our slide repair schedule (2nd slide repair) and impact of the road repair excavation work on road access and pass-ability, as there won’t be any safe passage during this period. The work on the 2nd slide will begin either Monday or Tuesday depending on the weather situation. The closure is scheduled to be in affect through 4/8/2022 at a minimum. The closure schedule will be reevaluated as work on the 2nd slide repair progresses. Now the good news, I’ve been talking to the Forest Service and they are finally giving me an idea as to when the road to Ash Camp will be open. I’ve been told that PG&E will begin repairs this year but unfortunately they don’t have a timeline yet….stay tuned.

We’re entering our shoulder season now and are getting dustings of snow, then warm weather then rain. This time of the year we expect the snowmelt to start and its right on schedule on the Upper Sac. It was running at a meager 350cfs and the last few days has jumped to 600cfs. It’s also getting a smidgen off color but I’ll take that over the gin clear water we’ve had all Winter. The fishing has also picked up and we’re seeing action from top to bottom on the river. With the summer drought coming best think about getting your fishing priorities in order sooner than later. Think about using Rubber Legs, soft hackles, Caddis imitations, and Gordon Princes. I’m seeing the fish moving up in the water column now rather than hugging the bottom like they did in the Winter so pounding the bottom isn’t necessary.

With limited access on the McCloud your only option will be to fish from the dam down river. Reports are spotty fishing but this will improve.

Cheers

Rick Cox Fly Fishing - offering 40 years of fly fishing experience for hourly or half day lessons and trips for beginners to ole dawgs. Checkout my Instagram post at rick_fly

530-925-0446

ricmcfly@gmail.com

Ted Fay Report : March 2, 2022

March 02, 2022Rick Cox

Saucers have landed Photo by Pauline Cox

Buckle up people, looks seriously like another year of drought and all the crap that comes with it. We’ve been hoping for a miracle March and though we may get a drop or two it doesn’t look like the rain/snow gods will be obliging with copious moisture. We’re just a smidgen ahead of last years totals and we all remember what that brought us here in Dogpatch (not good at all). The USac is flowing just north of 400cfs and the average for this time of year should be 3 times that. There will be a bit of a snow melt but nothing to write home about so the rivers are fine for now till June when all bets are off the table and fire season comes knocking. So best think about enjoying the USac and McCloud Rivers now. The USac will drop to a very low flow in the summer and the hoot owl will probably enter into the mix. I’m predicting too the McCloud will suffer through another mud flow year from all indications I’m seeing, more to come on that in a later report……hope I’m wrong! In the mean time the boys have been out there lately having some good days, when I say the boys I mean those guys who know what they’re doing. It has been an odd year for most, the lake runs are stuck way down in Shasta Lake and unfortunately they are tasked with coming up stream in a lake that is at a record low. If you want to target them I suggest fishing down at Delta to the lake. Otherwise there are fish to be caught as shown below. Anglers like Fred Gordon and Chris Devine have been fishing both rivers and have had success. Both rivers are running very cold and you have to put the fly right on their noses. Afternoon hatches of Blue Wing Olives but no fish feeding on top. Best flies working are Gordon Prince, S&M, Micro Mayflies (black & olive) and Olive Hotspot.

Cheers

Rick Cox Fly Fishing - offering 40 years of fly fishing experience for hourly or half day lessons and trips for beginners to ole dawgs. Checkout my Instagram post at rick_fly

530-925-0446

ricmcfly@gmail.com